TWFLLYM Ch 104

The Country Mouse's Journey to the Capital

[Roserikta] "Kya!"

Returning to the bedroom, Roserikta found a complete mess.

[Clobell] "How dare you break in here! You look exactly like a common thief!"

Clobellina chased a single mouse. She pursued it with such vicious hostility that the room lay in ruins. Torn curtains littered the floor, and claw marks covered the wooden furniture.

The mouse shrieked a pitiful cry, dodging Clobellina's sharp claws. It cut a miserable figure.

[Roserikta] "Clobell. What is going on?"

[Clobell] "Can't you tell! A cat catches a mouse!"

[Roserikta] "You don't normally hunt."

[Clobell] "I didn't avoid it out of ignorance! I hunt when I want to!"

[Roserikta] "No, I mean. Why are you suddenly doing something you never do?"

[Clobell] "This thief suddenly invaded! I must catch it and slice its tail right off!"

Elona recoiled in disgust before Roserikta could react.

[Elona] "Clobell! The baby might listen, so please use gentler words."

[Clobell] "Hmph! Let's catch this thief first! Kyak!"

She bared her fangs and darted toward the small gray mouse like an arrow. Roserikta hurriedly blocked the cat's path.

[Roserikta] "Wait, Clobell."

[Clobell] "Kyak! What are you doing! Why are you in my way!"

[Roserikta] "You are far too excited. We must talk to the mouse first."

[Clobell] "What is there to discuss with a thief! Move!"

[Roserikta] "A mouse wouldn't just appear out of nowhere, right?"

[Clobell] "What?"

Elona tilted her head in thought.

[Elona] "Oh? Now that you mention it, you are right. Why did a mouse pop up so suddenly? Since this place is old, mice show up occasionally, but they usually stay in the basement cellar."

[Mouse] "Squeak....... Squeeeak."

The mouse let out a thin cry. Roserikta bent down and examined the space under the cabinet shielding the creature.

[Roserikta] "Hello. Did you come to deliver a message?"

[Mouse] "Squeak, squeak. No, no. Not that, no, no."

[Roserikta] "Then? Were you hungry?"

[Mouse] "Not that either, no, no."

Conversing with a mouse proved difficult. Mice lacked the sharp intelligence of crows.

Furthermore, Clobellina constantly terrified the creature, forcing Elona to step in and restrain the cat.

[Roserikta] "How did you arrive here?"

[Mouse] "Well, well......."

The gray country mouse shared the following story.

The creature lived in a small southern estate governed by Baron Adren. One day, the Tribe of the Forest began frequenting the land. The Tribe hunted for the missing Black Witch's whereabouts, and all the mice residing in Baron Adren's castle learned this news.

[Mouse] "But, but......."

The country mouse didn't know the exact details of the events. However, funerals suddenly spiked. The mice recognized the occurrence of deaths through the black bread humans baked specifically for these sad occasions. An unusual abundance of black bread crumbs informed the mice of the frequent passing of human lives.

[Mouse] "Then the Baron died, died."

Following the Baron's death, the castle emptied overnight. The Baroness packed her belongings and moved away. By pure chance, workers loaded the empty wine barrel housing the mouse onto the moving wagon, launching the creature's unexpected journey.

[Mouse] "I hated it, hated it. The Baroness is strange, strange. Her smell changed, changed."

[Roserikta] "What?"

She gasped at this detail.

[Roserikta] "Her smell changed? How?"

[Mouse] "Don't know, don't know. But it's different, different."

Mice sharing a house for a long duration could identify individuals by scent alone. A changed scent meant a changed person.

[Roserikta] "Did the Baroness become a Dark Agent then?"

The Black Witch primarily employed men as Dark Agents, but women remained viable candidates. If the Black Witch intended to infiltrate Trifollium with a Dark Agent, she likely manipulated the Baroness on purpose.

[Mouse] "After that......."

The country mouse left Baron Adren's castle and settled in a far superior location. Roserikta suspected this place was Shana Castle.

There, the mouse encountered the Tribe of the Forest again. Exactly as the Great Crow stated, the Tribe diligently tracked the Black Witch's traces across the southern region every single day.

[Mouse] "I told the birds, told them. People died, died. The birds praised me, praised me."

[Roserikta] "Yes, yes. I see. You did exceptionally well. And did you travel from Shana Castle to this place?"

[Mouse] "I rode a wagon again, again. I hid on purpose to tell the birds, tell them."

[Roserikta] "Wow, you are incredibly brave. And then?"

[Mouse] "Smell, yes. Even here, there is a smell. The same smell from the Baron's castle, yes."

[Roserikta] "Really? What kind of smell is it?"

She asked with a serious expression. Her intuition flared; that scent held the ultimate clue.

[Mouse] "Smell hurts, hurts. My nose hurts, hurts."

[Roserikta] "It hurts?"

[Mouse] "It hurts so I can't eat, can't eat. Mice can't eat. It hurts, hurts."

[Roserikta] "What could it be?"

She urgently turned to Elona and asked.

[Roserikta] "Did any food at the banquet yesterday carry a strong scent? Something spicy or sharp?"

[Elona] "Mmm? Well...... I didn't experience anything like that. If a dish possessed a unique flavor, it would definitely stick in my memory."

[Roserikta] "The wine carried no such smell or taste, correct?"

[Elona] "Of course not. We tasted the wine together."

That was a hard fact. The wine held zero defects.

[Roserikta] "Everyone definitely consumed something. Otherwise, we can't explain this sudden, maddening rage."

[Elona] "Yes. It is indeed bizarre."

Elona, having already lost her temper twice, shuddered violently. She had even attempted to strike a person with an axe. Without Roserikta restraining her, the resulting horrors remained unimaginable.

[Roserikta] "If it bypassed the alcohol, it contaminated the food...... but what in the world could it be."

Clobellina interjected.

[Clobell] "Then just go back and search. Take that thing and make it sniff around."

This remained their sole option. Roserikta addressed the country mouse.

[Roserikta] "Can you accompany me? Will you aid us?"

The country mouse shook its head, shivering uncontrollably.

[Mouse] "But the cat, the cat. Scared, scared."

Roserikta shot a warning glare, prompting Clobellina to toss out a reluctant apology.

[Clobell] "I lost my sanity earlier. I must have ingested that strange substance too. I will behave now."

Elona quickly grasped the exchange and scooped Clobellina into a tight hug.

[Elona] "I will hold her securely. Don't worry."

[Clobell] "Gag my mouth if necessary. I consent to it. This is a severe crisis."

[Mouse] "Then promise, promise."

The country mouse finally nodded.

After swearing a firm oath to monitor Clobellina's behavior, Roserikta took the cat into her arms, while Elona tucked the country mouse into her apron pocket.

[Roserikta] "Let's go then."

[Elona] "Yes, Lady Roserikta."

Elona answered, her eyes flashing like a knight charging into battle. However, uncovering the scent's identity faced an immediate delay.

[Arad] "Lady Roserikta! No, Marchioness Martianan! May I enter? It is an emergency!"

His desperate voice pierced through the door.

---

Arad shocked everyone upon entering the bedroom. Primarily, his left eye sported a dark black bruise.

[Roserikta] "I know you are in a rush, but I must ask first. What exactly happened to you, Sir Knight?"

[Arad] "Ah, I don't know myself. I woke up this morning to find my face in this condition."

Arad replied, radiating deep injustice.

Roserikta possessed a strong suspicion regarding the culprit's identity. The small, firm fist print stamped vividly over the blackened eye undeniably belonged to Elona.

This constituted a massive disaster. That mysterious scent annihilated reason, inciting physical brawls between even the most affectionate lovers.

[Roserikta] "I'm glad it ended there. I will send Lady Elona an effective ointment for bruises later. Regardless, what is the emergency?"

[Arad] "Ah, we can't waste time on this. I need you to head to the hall immediately."

[Roserikta] "Pardon? Why the hall?"

[Arad] "His Highness is on the verge of assassinating His Majesty."

[Roserikta] "What?"

Under normal circumstances, she would demand further details, but time offered no such luxury. People were committing murder without a shred of logic.

[Roserikta] "Let's go. Which route is the fastest?"

[Arad] "This way."

Roserikta grabbed her skirts in a tight grip. She cast dignity aside and sprinted.

---

[Eaton] "Your Highness!"

Eaton desperately restrained Kalart.

[Eaton] "Your opponent is His Majesty! Please, release your grip!"

Kalart's frigid gaze remained static. He stared down at his screaming, agonized biological father, devoid of a single ounce of affection.

[Kalart] "I stated I would release you once you approve the marriage."

Belto I roared back, refusing to yield an inch.

[Belto I] "I will never approve it! I would rather surrender an arm!"

Eaton scrambled to placate the Emperor as well.

[Eaton] "Your Majesty! Please, calm yourself! His Highness is out of his mind right now!"

[Belto I] "A Crown Prince driven so mad by marriage that he fails to recognize his own father! I will decree your deposition!"

[Kalart] "Excellent. But grant the marriage first."

Eaton wailed in pure distress.

[Eaton] "Your Highness! How could you utter such words! Your Majesty! Please retract your statement!"

Belto I shrieked.

[Belto I] "I will never grant it! I will proceed first! I refuse to witness my Dove suffering in sorrow!"

[Kalart] "I, too, refuse to allow my child to be born a bastard."

[Belto I] "Shut your mouth!"

[Eaton] "Your Majesty! Your Highness, please cease this argument. You must release his arm and calm your temper."

[Kalart] "Eaton. Keep your mouth shut. Don't interfere with my marriage."

[Eaton] "Your Highness. I'm not interfering, I'm......."

Kalart bared his teeth at Eaton.

[Kalart] "Did you fail to hear my command to get out?"

[Eaton] "Your Highness, I......."

Crack!

The sickening sound of twisting bone finally erupted from the Emperor's arm.

[Belto I] "Aaaargh!"

The crisis hovered a hair's breadth from irreversible ruin.

[Roserikta] "Your Highness!"

She arrived on the scene.

[Roserikta] "Haa, haa....... Let go, please. Haa......."

She panted heavily, her exposed ankles testament to her frantic sprint. Kalart scowled deeply.

[Kalart] "I can't believe this. Did you sprint until your lungs gave out?"

[Roserikta] "Yes, haa....... Let go...... I have something to inform you......."

The request became unnecessary. Kalart discarded the Emperor's arm—which he had gripped with immovable force moments prior—and strode toward Roserikta.

Thump!

The sudden release sent Belto I crashing onto his rear.

[Eaton] "Your Majesty!"

Eaton rushed to support Belto I. Meanwhile, Kalart stood before Roserikta, an ominous fury darkening his features.

[Kalart] "Do you possess zero awareness of your pregnancy? What if you tripped while running in such a reckless manner?"

[Roserikta] "It is not at that stage yet...... no, that is beside the point!"

[Kalart] "Don't deploy the same excuse on repeat. The child doesn't belong to you alone. My anger toward you reaches unbelievable heights today."

He ate it too. He definitely ingested it.

[Kalart] "Who summoned you? Was it Arad?"

His obsidian eyes snapped toward Arad, stationed right behind Roserikta.

[Kalart] "Prepare your neck. You will pay the ultimate price for executing an unassigned action."

[Arad] "Your Highness......."

Arad drained of all color in an instant. Paired with his brutally bruised eye, he presented a phenomenally pitiful sight.

[Elona] "Aah, no."

The late-arriving Elona clamped her hands over her mouth, her complexion turning a sickly pale.

Roserikta shielded Arad and grasped Kalart's arm.

[Roserikta] "Your Highness. That is incorrect. Please listen to my words."

[Kalart] "Halt your speech if you plan to formulate excuses."

He sharply snatched her hand.

[Kalart] "I will escort you to your bedroom. Lie on the bed and refrain from taking a single step. Before my wrath erupts."

Wow, this man turns incredibly domineering when provoked No, this is not the time for such observations.

[Roserikta] "Your rage is entirely abnormal, Your Highness."

[Kalart] "Cease your chatter."

[Roserikta] "Everyone is consumed by anger. It borders on the bizarre."

[Kalart] "They likely behave in a manner that invites such wrath."

[Roserikta] "That is false. Why did you unleash your fury upon His Majesty a moment ago?"

[Kalart] "......."

He froze in his tracks.

[Kalart] "......Because he opposed the marriage."

That stood as the sole logical reason. However, his supplementary words lacked conviction. It served as blatant evidence of his guesswork rather than factual memory.

[Roserikta] "And toward Sir Arad?"

[Kalart] "That is......."

[Roserikta] "You threatened to sever his head. You uttered such horrifying words, yet you hold zero memory of the cause?"

[Kalart] "......."

Kalart ceased his march completely. Severe confusion rapidly replaced the thick shadows of wrath blanketing his face.

[Kalart] "A critical error is at play here."

[Roserikta] "Correct, Your Highness. Everyone consumed a forbidden substance at the banquet. I'm actively searching for the source."

[Kalart] "You claim our baseless fury stems from ingested food?"

[Roserikta] "Yes, Your Highness. While I lack the exact identity, the Baroness definitely brought the item."

[Kalart] "The Baroness......."

The crisis erupted anew.

[Elona] "Aah! Everyone, watch out!"

Elona shrieked, her eyes locked on the approaching threat.

Belto I, having successfully shoved Eaton aside, charged forward with his drawn sword, panting heavily.

[Belto I] "Don't make my Dove cry!"

The blade served a purely decorative, lightweight function, but it remained a lethal weapon nonetheless. The razor-sharp tip aimed directly at Kalart's exposed back.

[Roserikta] "No!"

Roserikta screamed a sharp warning and yanked Kalart toward her body.

The Emperor, radiating blinding rage, hoisted the sword higher into the air.

[Eaton] "Your Majesty!"

Eaton and Arad roared in unison, but the vast distance rendered physical intervention impossible.

At that exact fraction of a second, Clobellina single-handedly halted Belto I's rampage.

[Clobell] "Wake up to reality, human!"